Pennsylvania page of Library Postcards: Civic Pride in a Lost America.
Occasionally, other philanthropists in Pennsylvania funded libraries.
Another library with steel philanthropical roots. Opened in 1929.
This is a Dexter Press Colorcraft card. In this instance, it's a mis-Colorcraft linen finish postcard.
The library is greyish marble.
Still in use. Became part of the Beaver County Library System in 1971.
(L) Printed by Curt Teich for S.G. Horlick, but branded IRAS: Superior Quality Brand.
(R) Dexter Press 'Colorcraft' linen finish card.
Built in 1888: still in use.
Early Curt Teich card, mailed 1910.
No longer in use.
Merrimack Post Card: appears to date from the 1950s.
(L) Litho-Chrome brand card.
(R) Eerily tinted Tom Jones 'Glace' card, mailed 1909. I've never seen this
style before.
(Erie Museum card removed in light of new evidence that
the current building was a mansion, not a library building.)
Built in 1899; probably torn down in 1996. The library has had a tumultuous history.
Originally, (1911) the Young Memorial Library. In 1967, the Wolcott Wing was built. Now the entire building is named Guthrie Memorial Library, after a local attorney. I hope he left oodles of money behind for that honor.
Early glossy postcard mailed in 1915.
Trying to find out more information about this Beaux-Arts library building is pretty difficult. The library is part of the Luzerne County Library System.
An attractive linen Mebane Greeting Card postcard.
Mebane left in a lot of details.
Quite shallow building built in 1928. Children's wing added 1987. The library is still in use and is a member of the Luzerne County Library system.
Linen-finish card by the Mebane Greeting Card Company.
Precursor library founded in the
1700s!
This Victorian-Gothic building was built in 1888 and slightly modified in 1962.
Replaced in 1971, the library became the Pennwood Branch of the Bucks County Free Library.
Now the headquarters of the Historic Langhorne Association.
The building pictured on the website does not even slightly resemble the building on this card.
On the left panel:
Media Free Library organized 1901.
On the right panel:
Erected by Public Donation 1907.
I think it looks like a theater.
First free public library in Cumberland County (1889).
Built of Hummelstown brownstone; designed in Richardsonian Romanesque style by architect James T. Steen. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Remains in use as part of the Cumberland County Library System today.
Lovely tinted postcard, ca. 1907.
Carnegie offered the city a grant, but it was protested.
(L) Curt Teich linen-finish card.
New Castle Free Public Library, founded 1910, moved into this building in 1910. Owned and operated by City of New Castle. The Library has 52,600 books.
(R) 1959 Curt Teich 'Curteichcolor' card, warts and all.
Itself, subsequently replaced.
I guess this is an example of do-it-yourself to do it right. This was built in 1903 by Charles Pratt to memorialize his parents. Until 1922, the family maintained it in a whole new spin on the concept of a family business. At that point the family deeded the library property to the newly chartered Pratt Memorial Library Association.
The library appears to have no web presence despite being the leading library for Susquehanna County.
I have no idea which building is the library, but isn't the road signage great? That would probably be airbrushed out on a Teich card. This comes from the Mebane Greeting Card Company of Wilkes-Barre.
The main building of the Free Library of Philadelphia was not funded by Andrew Carnegie. It was built in 1927 and is in the planning stages of a major renovation.
Did you know that one of its architects was African-American? Julian Abele and Horace Trumbauer designed the building. The diverse buildings planned by the Trumbauer firm include the Pere Marquette Hotel, in Peoria, Illinois.
Caption:
The Clymer Library, Lutherland, Pocono Pines, Pa.
It's difficult to tell if the Library is still in this building, or another bungalow.
History of Lutherland from Thrivent's Lutherans Online site.
The newest card in my collection. Thank you, Lynn!
Still in use.
Built in 1904 and
still
in use.
Byron Benson was one of the area's independent oil men, but was not
involved in the pioneering 1859 oil strike.
Beautiful handcolored Rotograph card, copyright 1905 and mailed in 1909.
Brown.
James VanDuzee Brown.
Library
addition built in 1939, essentially dating the picture to immediately pre-war.
(L) Card mailed 1908.
(R) Attractive linen-finish card produced for the Mebane Greeting Card Company
of Wilkes-Barre.
Amusingly, located on Reading Boulevard.
Pleasant red brick library which is still in use.
Card by Berkshire News of Reading.
Still in use. However, the history comes from the York Square Blog, not the library's web site.
Original funding came from the estate of Milton D. Martin, died in 1912. However, his endowment was invested
and used in the mid-1930s to build York's library.
Renovated in 2005.
1945 linen finish postcard by Curt Teich.
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© 2007 - 2011 Judy Aulik
Pennsylvania page divided 18 June 2011.